Digital Rights Management for printed circuit boards

Abstract

Embodiments may provide Digital Rights Management techniques, not to make the reverse engineering process harder, but rather to provide detection of reverse engineering of PCBs, such as by copying of layers of trace layout, so as to enable pursuing legal remedies against the violators. For example, in an embodiment, a method of information encoding may be implemented in a computer comprising a processor, memory accessible by the processor, and computer program instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor, the method may comprise receiving, at the computer system, information to be encoded in a printed circuit board wiring trace layout and laying out, at the computer system, a plurality of printed circuit board wiring traces so as to encode the received information.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of information encoding, implemented in a computer comprising a processor, memory accessible by the processor, and computer program instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor, the method comprising:
 receiving, at the computer system, information to be encoded in a printed circuit board wiring trace layout; and 
 laying out, at the computer system, a plurality of printed circuit board wiring traces so as to encode the received information, wherein degrees of freedom in the printed circuit board wiring trace layout are used to add perturbations to the trace layout, wherein the perturbations encode the received information. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein printed circuit board wiring traces that encode the received information do not significantly affect functionality of an electronic device including the printed circuit board. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the information to be encoded comprises a signature or a serial number. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein the encoded a signature or a serial number provides the capability to provide a proof that a copy of the PCB has been made using reverse engineering of the original printed circuit board. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising receiving, at the computer system, a printed circuit board wiring trace layout and laying out comprises modifying the received printed circuit board wiring trace layout so as to encode the received information. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising receiving, at the computer system, an electronic schematic and laying out comprises converting the electronic schematic into a printed circuit board wiring trace layout including printed circuit board wiring traces encoding the received information. 
     
     
       7. A system for information encoding, the system comprising a processor, memory accessible by the processor, and computer program instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to perform:
 receiving, at the computer system, information to be encoded in a printed circuit board wiring trace layout; and 
 laying out, at the computer system, a plurality of printed circuit board wiring traces so as to encode the received information, wherein degrees of freedom in the printed circuit board wiring trace layout are used to add perturbations to the trace layout, wherein the perturbations encode the received information. 
 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 7 , wherein printed circuit board wiring traces that encode the received information do not significantly affect functionality of an electronic device including the printed circuit board. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 8 , wherein the information to be encoded comprises a signature or a serial number. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the encoded a signature or a serial number provides the capability to provide detection of reverse engineering of the printed circuit board. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 8 , further comprising receiving, at the computer system, a printed circuit board wiring trace layout and laying out comprises modifying the received printed circuit board wiring trace layout so as to encode the received information. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 8 , further comprising receiving, at the computer system, an electronic schematic and laying out comprises converting the electronic schematic into a printed circuit board wiring trace layout including printed circuit board wiring traces encoding the received information. 
     
     
       13. A computer program product for information encoding, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a computer, to cause the computer to perform a method comprising:
 receiving, at the computer system, information to be encoded in a printed circuit board wiring trace layout; and 
 laying out, at the computer system, a plurality of printed circuit board wiring traces so as to encode the received information, wherein degrees of freedom in the printed circuit board wiring trace layout are used to add perturbations to the trace layout, wherein the perturbations encode the received information. 
 
     
     
       14. The computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein printed circuit board wiring traces that encode the received information do not significantly affect functionality of an electronic device including the printed circuit board. 
     
     
       15. The computer program product of  claim 14 , wherein the information to be encoded comprises a signature or a serial number. 
     
     
       16. The computer program product of  claim 15 , wherein the encoded a signature or a serial number provides the capability to provide detection of reverse engineering of the printed circuit board. 
     
     
       17. The computer program product of  claim 14 , further comprising receiving, at the computer system, a printed circuit board wiring trace layout and laying out comprises modifying the received printed circuit board wiring trace layout so as to encode the received information. 
     
     
       18. The computer program product of  claim 14 , further comprising receiving, at the computer system, an electronic schematic and laying out comprises converting the electronic schematic into a printed circuit board wiring trace layout including printed circuit board wiring traces encoding the received information.